Residents living in the neighborhood surrounding a proposed Walmart Neighborhood Market have mixed views on the possibility of the retailer moving in.

An Aug. 13 vote has been set for the matter, after enough residents signed a petition calling for a special election to repeal a zoning ordinance passed in April by the Russellville City Council. The decision paved the way for construction of Russellville’s second Walmart store on South Vancouver Avenue between West Main Street and West Second Street.

The Courier talked to several residents in the area near the site of the proposed Neighborhood Market on Friday and Saturday and asked them to share their opinion about the store. Their comments are printed below.

• Mary Ann Baker — “We’re excited. We hope it comes in. It’ll bring jobs to our community. Walmart is working with the people around here to put up trees and for the noise. It will be very convenient.”

• Bethany Raymond — “It’s not the people in our community that are against it. We want it here. I don’t know why people are trying to stop it, because it’ll bring business to our area and it will be close by.”

• Christina Evants — “The Neighborhood Market won’t bother us too much, except that traffic is already kind of bad and it’s a small street. I can imagine that traffic will get worse after it is built. Hopefully they will put in a light or something.”

• Steve Banko — “I honestly haven’t lived in the area long enough to say how it will affect the community. I can say one thing though, it won’t change traffic. I’m from New Jersey, and even Russellville’s rush hour doesn’t compare to that traffic, so I think it’ll be fine. It will be convenient to be able to go down the street for something.”

• Kyle Wills — “I say bring it on. Competition is good. In fact, I’m irritated by the petition to stop it. I also jog up and down Vancouver sometimes, and I can say for sure that it’s not gonna be a traffic jam. I’m not worried.”

• Tom Cravens — “I understand that we need the business and stuff, and I understand both sides of the argument, but I’m worried about the traffic it will bring in and the damage it might do to house prices. I’m really torn though, because I want to see the business, but just not in my back yard.”

• Debbie Cooper — “I’m against it. I think it’s going to hurt our neighborhood and that it will hurt the value of our houses. We signed the petition to stop it. I have nothing against Walmart, and I wouldn’t mind having a Neighborhood Market, but it is right there in our backyard.”

• Chuck Davis — “I like the location, and I like the convenience. But I feel like Cash Saver’s, Kroger and Walgreens gives us everything that we need here. I’m sure it’ll bring in competition and some things will be cheaper, but if I had to choose today, I’d say no to it.”

• Dee and Kim Stone — “There are a lot of people, including ourselves, that are worried about the traffic. And even though it is in a convenient location, we have Kroger right here.”

• Flora Anderson — “I can’t see how it would hurt anyone. I’ve seen the Walmart marketplaces benefit other communities, mainly because the convenience is wonderful. I think it will be a fine thing for our neighborhood.”

• Mason Mullins — “My thoughts are that although I understand what people feel about Walmart being a big, evil corporation, this is a positive thing to the community. Walmart will build to suit the community. I think that a really big part of it all is that people around here have never shopped at a neighborhood market before.”

• Troy Burris — “I’ve got mixed feelings about the whole project. In some ways I’m for it, but in some ways I’m afraid it’ll hurt. It’ll hurt small business around here, and that’s what I’m worried about. But on the other side, it’ll bring more people in. So I think it really can go either way. So I’m just going to wait and see what happens.”

The same Hippocrates that don't want expanded liquor sales in the area are the same ones that want Walmart to revive preferential treatment on zonig laws in the guise of job development in the community. If the city leaders were truly concerned about jobs and economic development then they would ease the restrictions on alcohol sales. The taxes. Alone would be an economic windfall let alone an increase in business development. Just look at Conway. And oh by the way they don't have a Walmart Marketplace. Typical Hippocritacl backwards Russellville logic.

Chester, that is patently misleading concerning life insurance policies. While it is true they did so, no employee that has worked since 1995 has had this happen and all the life insurance policies were cancelled in 2000. At the very least your statement is suffering from a "tense" defenciency.